property taxes

"Hokey Smokes! New property taxes!"

            The past week was a busy one for me. I don’t like busy. I didn’t retire for the purpose of staying busy. I retired for one reason and one reason only. – Because I could.

            I now find myself at the age where I don’t like to post stuff on my calendar. It means I have committed myself to be somewhere at a particular time in order to do something that I don’t normally do. I have been blessed to live long enough to accept the fact that anything I don’t normally do is something that I’d rather not do.

            The first thing scribbled on last week’s calendar was “Tax office - 1:30.” It had to do with Kay scheduling a meeting with the County Appraisal Panel to protest our property taxes. I would rather spend the night in our recycle bin than stand in front of a panel of professionals to protest something. Yet, it had to be done.

            Our new house is located a mile and half away from our old house, and it is situated inside the Conroe city limits. That’s cool. I’ve got city water, sewage and garbage pickup. It costs us a lot more than at our old house, but I like it better than our old aerobic septic system. Our old place was separated from Conroe by the width of a street. Our tax bill came to 3.3 percent of our fixed income. That was good.

            Our new place has a smaller lot and a smaller house and the property taxes are 12 % of our fixed income. I knew it was going up, but I thought that the homestead exemption and our over 65 exemption would take care of a chunk of that. I am such an idiot.

            Our protest was scheduled about two weeks in advance, so I had plenty of time to dread the event. I have always handled jobs or projects based on the anticipation of the worst-case-scenario. When you adopt that philosophy, there is nothing that can disappoint you.

            Well, the time of the meeting came, and Kay and I walked out without standing in front of the panel of handpicked citizens who are appointed to arbitrate appraisal issues. Kay was told by friends that a more polite and charming group you will not find. That gave me hope and caused me to approach the meeting with wit and cuteness. But, like I say, it didn’t happen.

            After an hour wait we were called up front to meet with a single appraisal guy who was our go-between with the panel. He was there to answer any questions about our appraisal. After that, we’d stand before the panel ONLY if we were unsatisfied with the explanation. The appraisal guy was nice as he could be. By the time the man finished, I had trouble understanding the concept, but only because I was trying to apply common sense. Kay figured everything out at the get go. The appraisal guy found a something that would bring our appraisal down a half of a percentage point.

            Before leaving this alone, I must tell you that I am not opposed to taxation. It’s gotta be done. And whether you choose to believe it or not, Texans are taxed less than in most states. We pay higher fees than in most states, but that’s okay, because fees are fees and taxes are taxes. See?

            I will stick my neck out and say this: Ready? If we could lose property taxes, I would gladly accept a State income tax, knowing that it would be much less than 11.5 % of my fixed income. While I understand the need for taxation, I am at odds with what it is the State chooses to tax. With all the Municipal Utility Districts, hospital districts, school districts, college districts… I fear we may be taxed out of house and home.

            Too much about taxes. I only have time and space left in this column for last Saturday’s scheduled church safety meeting. If you are in any way involved in teaching or serving in any capacity inside the church building you were asked to attend a three-hour meeting.

            The lecture covered stuff like what do we do in case of a a tornado or fire? What if someone collapses in class or has a seizure or stroke? What should we do before EMT arrives? What if a pew collapses and people fall and we end up with massive tailbone fractures? (We were asked to brainstorm possible scenarios, and that one just came to me.)

            Of course, what about someone coming in and opening up with an automatic rifle. Nowadays, it is prudent to anticipate the worst case scenario. I do that in church during some of the sermons. -- What if someone marched down the aisle with a fist clutching some automatic weaponry? After screaming like a child, what would I do to save the day? I’ve been thinking stuff like that since I was a kid.

            In our congregation there are police officers, nurses, firemen, a 911 director… people well versed in safety. And, a plan has been developed to handle situations that some call “The New Normal.” True, there are no guarantees in life. But, it’s best to have a plan; to anticipate.

            Obviously, none of this is new to me. I’ve been anticipating bad stuff forever. It’s what I do.

           

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Mark can be contacted at hayter.mark@gmail.com. Visit Amazon Books to order Mark’s novel, “The Summer of 1976.”